In the summer of 2013, a sense of security was shattered in an Oklahoma City neighborhood. Evelyn Goodall, a 94-year-old Caucasian woman, was the victim of a brutal home invasion on July 5th. An intruder forced his way into her residence, violently assaulting her and leaving her bound with duct tape. Despite the horrific ordeal, she managed to call 911 for help.
However, the severity of her injuries was too great, and she succumbed to them two days later, on July 7, 2013.
For years, the case of her tragic death remained a painful mystery, a cold case that left a community on edge. Investigators worked diligently, but the trail of the perpetrator seemed to have gone cold. The breakthrough the case so desperately needed would not come for nearly four years. It was the advancement of forensic science that would ultimately shine a light on the dark secrets of that day. DNA evidence collected from the crime scene would finally point to a suspect, a man who had once lived just a few doors down from Evelyn.
In March of 2017, the investigation led to the arrest of Robert Leon Hashagen III. At the time of the murder, he had been residing with his sister and brother-in-law in the same neighborhood. The evidence against him was compelling, as his DNA was reportedly also linked to a burglary at Evelyn's home in 2010, an incident in which she was also injured. Hashagen, who had a past in law enforcement, denied any involvement in her death but did admit to using methamphetamines around the time of the murder.
The wheels of justice turned, and in 2021, Robert Hashagen was convicted of the murder of Evelyn Goodall. The verdict brought a long-awaited sense of closure to her family and community, who had waited years for the person responsible for the violent end to a long life to be held accountable. The case stands as a testament to the persistent efforts of law enforcement and the power of forensic evidence in solving even the most challenging of cold cases.
